One Two Three

It has made a good change to watch some good comedy and its even better to know that, with a few exceptions, the cast does not include much of the Bollywood elite.

Laxmi Narayan's mother begs the Don to allow her son to commit one murder so that he is able to join and after endless begging, one chance is given. In the meantime, in another part of the city, another man, an employee, who is confused on entering his boss's office and instructed to sit, whether he should sit on the left chair or the sofa or on the right, annoys his boss, who then instructs him that he wants him to go and buy a car and that he has already e - mailed the information. Finally, in Delhi, another man is selling lingerie from a vehicle, when his son calls him and instructs him about going to visit their supplier. But then an underworld man is killed, while he tries to save a diamond that has been smuggled and hid in an antique car. Oddly all three men are named Laxmi Narayan.

The movie stars Neetu Chandra, Sunil Shetty, Esha Deol, Tusshar Kapoor, Ashwin Mushran, Sameera Reddy, Vrijesh Hirjee, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Pahwa and Mukesh Tiwari.

While Esha Deol, has to some extent, improved and Sameera Reddy has gone on to add some glamour to this movie. Naturally Paresh Rawal is at his best as usual and Tusshar Kapoor is also good as are all the others and more so with Vrijesh Hirjee and Manoj Pahwa.

One Two Three, directed by Ashwani Dhir of "Office Office" fame, is a good comedy to watch and so far this year it has been the best out of the genre that has been released.

Ashwani Dhir (of 'Office Office' television series fame) makes his big screen directorial debut with One Two Three. The film is a low budget fare with a cast that is not from the Bollywood elite. But all of them manage to pull off a good laugh ride.

The plot is pretty simple, thankfully. There is no attempt to complicate things and the focus is on getting the funny bone tickle. Sanjay Mishra is the pick of the lot among the cast. His caricature of Jeevan (character actor from the sixties) works. Neeta Chandra's character is a straight lift from Kavita Kaushik's character in the television series 'F.I.R'. Neeta Chandra is good but I would have loved to see Kavita Kaushik herself. That would have added more fun to the proceedings. Sameera Reddy adds to the glamour of the film and Paresh Rawal easily negotiates his role.

All in all, a no-brainer fun film.

So Dheer uses the exact same formula for his film, a comedy of errors in which a bunch of zany characters after money--after several comic misunderstandings--come together in an even more zany climax. Who can blame him though? His formula always produces a hit, and I'm not complaining as long as it makes me laugh! Make sure you leave your brain at home when watching this. A few jokes in this film are a bit more vulgar than his usual, which actually makes it even more hilarious. Suniel Shetty, Tusshar, Tusshar's mom, Neetu, Paresh Rawal, and Sameera Reddy were awesome! Upen Patel, Tanisha, and surprisingly Esha Deol were quite pathetic. Songs are good. One of Dheer's better films in recent times.

The storyline is simple – its an ode to Shakespeare's "Comedy of errors". However there are too many sub-plots built into it owing to which there is huge cast, which do not get adequate screen time and works against it. For example, Virendra Harjee was hardly there and where is Neetu Chandra. Anyways, the chemistry and timing was perfect to tickle your funny bone.

Performances:: Not going down the route of Oscar award winning speech – let us say all were good. Though bear in mind the following::

Tushhar Kapoor:: Straight out of SOAL sets?

Upen Patel & Tanishaa:: Spare the audience – please quit. I nearly included Eesha, but hey – she has done some good work in the past and deserves another chance.

Music by Raghav Sachar are hummable.

Ashwani Dheer:: Proved track record as a writer in comedy genre. But holding the directorial reins for the first time - not bad at all. Waiting for your second round Sir.

In my opinion, the critics were partial to "One Two Three" for not giving its due credit especially the awesome "one-liners". Trust me, even on a second viewing, it will make you laugh.

The movie starts with a groovy song (Well two if you consider when the plot starts thickening) and takes off from there. At times, the songs in the middle of the movie (even though catchy) do slow it but that is what comes with any Bollywood movie. One would have to applaud the screenwriter for how impeccably they have woven the script that has resulted in the events that are all related to each other by the end of the movie. The usual suspects Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal have dotted there 'i's and crossed their 't's and flawlessly fit into the role. Their innocence (or naivety if you prefer calling it that) drives the movie. On the other hand, the third namesake, Tushar Kapoor is pleasant compared to his other roles so far. He leaves a lasting impression. Don't know why he did not do a few more in a similar genre. Maybe because the movie did not do too good when it was released on the box office back in 2008.

For female leads, all the three, Esha, Sameera, Tanisha perform their role well. The surprise package was Neetu Chandra. She fits in as brash and eccentric Mayavati Chautala as if the role was written with her in mind.

Sanjay Mishra and Mukesh Tiwari are the stars of the movie though. And yeah, they have even overshadowed both Rawal and Shetty. They are the heart of the movie and might have been the driving factor. Vrajesh does well in his role but Mishra is fantabulous. Manoj Pahwa, Murli Sharma, and Usha Nadkarni do well in their parts and make the movie even more fun.

The way the story unfolds is pretty good. But as said above the unraveling of the story could have been done a bit quicker with the removal of a few songs. That slows down the movie. Most of the jokes are clean and this is a movie that you may watch with your partner and maybe your extended family if you have enough comfort in your relationship (where Bra-Panty jokes are not frowned upon).

All n all, an absolute joy ride this movie is contingent on one leaving their brain at home and just allowing themselves to be stress-free. Taking 2 stars off for the pace of the movie. Beyond that all well. Sure WATCH! (I watch when I am bored or down...)